Miriam Feinberg Vamosh is a translator on the staff of Haaretz English Edition. She is an author, editor and translator specializing in Israel's archaeology and multicultural heritage, and is also a tour educator.
Monasteries abound in ancient Israel, but the 1,600-year-old nunnery and women's graveyard built where the miraculously impregnated Hannah, mother of Samuel, is believed to lie are unique
All Paul meant is that early Christians living in pagan regimes should render unto Caesar rather than kick up a fuss and get killed, not that families should be rent asunder at the American border
The Negev village had survived for 800 years but some time after the Byzantine era, it sank into decline and would never recover
Ancient images of Hanukkah menorahs usually had seven arms, per the divine dictate, but alternatives may have arisen due to bitter mourning, and a rabbinical ban.
Many of the Miracles of Jesus took place in Jerusalem, and through the generations since, the Christian faithful have passed on the stories – and marked the sites where they took place.
Beit She'arim's most famous resident was Rabbi Judah the Prince, whose burial there, reportedly, attracted Jewish leaders from around the region.
To Jews it's Hulda, adviser to King Josiah 2700 years ago. Christians and Muslims believe very different women are lying in that ancient Jerusalemite sepulchre.
To the ancient Canaanites, the terebinth was sacred. And then there's that symbiosis the tree has with a bug.
The Hebrews loved meat, as most people do, but who could afford it? For when they could - here's a recipe from the ancient past for meat stew with turnips.
Whatever 'ashishot' actually were, most agree it means a sweet cake. Here's how to make it.
Fishing has been a mainstay of human cuisine going back millennia. Archaeologists can show us how the ancients fished and cooked their catch.
Stop and smell the flowers on this easy, pretty hike near several major tourist sites in Israel's north.
From Hulda's tomb to the church where Mary uttered the Magnificat, the Holy Land abounds with sites celebrating revered women.
Among the many miracles Elisha performed, there is one you can reenact in your kitchen.
Your reward for a fairly strenuous climb to the top of the fortified tower is a gorgeous view of the Hula Valley, the Golan and Lebanon.
This is one of Jerusalem's most well-known Christian monuments, and also the final resting place of Righteous Gentile Princess Alice of Greece.
Rediscovered by chance, this evocative spot marks the place where heavily pregnant Mary is said to have rested on the way to Bethlehem.
But you may want to leave out one ingredient God commanded Ezekiel to use, to remember that exile is foul.
The man in the dusty street wore a tunic and sandals. The rich could dress so splendidly that they risked being struck down by divine anger
In biblical times, what did the haves have? Space and toilets, to name two amenities, say archaeologists. And hairdos.
The heroes of Hanukkah have been six feet under for 2,100 years, but where, exactly?
This church honors the visit paid by Mary, Jesus' mother, to Elizabeth, John the Baptist's mother.
How did the people of the ancient Levant really live? For women, it was grinding on their haunches.
And Nazareth itself offers a chance to visit the 'spring shut up' and other features of the time Mary lived
Harvesting your own fruit or vegetables right from the field can be a fun family activity while traveling Israel's countryside.
The farming community of Beit Zayit may not be Jurassic Park, but it does host one of the few signs of Israel's inhabitants from 100 million years ago.
Unique glimpses of ancient life in Galilee, amazing archaeological firsts and a message of reconciliation are all part of the visit to Magdala.
Finds at the town Mary Magdalene called home cross faiths, cultures and the millennia to shed new light on a fateful era in the history of the land of Israel.
You might just be able to sweet-talk your way into visiting this site and the etching that made world headlines.
The exact route is not historically certain, and its paving stones and churches don’t mean the same thing to all Christian denominations. Yet some of the Stations of the Cross speak to all.